The manoomin harvest begins: The wild rice harvest has begun in many areas around the region and will continue through September. At Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, a Wild Rice Festival Pow Wow starts today. At the beginning of the month, Ducks Unlimited predicted an excellent harvest within Minnesota, but wild rice growth can vary greatly among the lakes and waterways. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has an online brochure explaining the ecological and cultural significance of the wetland grass we know as wild rice and the Ojibwe people call "manoomin," derived from the word "manitou" or spirit.
In the August/September issue of Lake Superior Magazine, the Recipe Box features a recipe for Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Cherries & Walnuts. The issue is currently available on newsstands and online.
Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota is suggesting a change to a rule intended to protect wild rice from sulfate run-offs connected to mining, wastewater treatment and other industries, reports MPR. The change would allow lake-by-lake flexibility in determining potential harm.
Start looking for the long underwear: Three degrees cooler in Great Lakes’ temperatures right now could portend an early arrival of fall and winter, speculates MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa. “If the current upper-air flow continues, we are probably heading toward a slightly earlier-than-normal fall, and yes, an earlier-than-normal start to winter.” Last year about this time, Lake Superior waters measured 60-63° F and current water temps are more in the 57-60° range, he points out. As if further proof might be needed, for the wee hours of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a frost advisory for parts of the Upper Peninsula. If you want to see temperatures in all the Great Lakes, click here.
Biggest ever: The largest plane ever to land in Thunder Bay touched down this week with materials from Vienna for the Bombardier plant. The Antonov 124 is 226 feet long and 240 feet wide, reports CBC Thunder Bay, which posted a video by Jeff Walters. That's about 8 times longer than a London double-decker bus or 3.5 times longer than a bowling lane (if our Google search is to be believed).
Wild elk in our future?: The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are considering a reintroduction of elk into the local forest, and the University of Minnesota is studying the potential for such a move, reports John Myers of the Duluth News Tribune.
Sisters (and brothers) from afar: Superior, Wisconsin, celebrated its 20th year as the Sister City of Ami-Machi, Japan, with a special visit this week of a delegation from that city. By the end of their visit Sunday, they will have toured the downtown (they posed here at the mural outside Sweeden Sweets and at lunch at Sclavi's Italian Restaurant), Fairlawn Museum, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center and Fraser Shipyards, among many local sites, and will join a party at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Next summer, a student delegation from Superior is slated to visit the Japanese "sister." Students in grades 8-11 can apply online to join the delegation.
Power packs: Country power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will be sporting some Duluth swag after their upcoming appearance at the Xcel Energy Center tonight. Duluth Pack has partnered with the center to provide gifts for performers there. The 135-year-old Duluth company chose a Black Pebbled Leather Sportsman’s Duffel for Tim, citing a match for his travel style and decided on an Elite Series Sportsman’s Tote Bag as a “chic and fashion forward” choice for Faith. “After much time and research, our team is extremely confident they will enjoy using their newly handcrafted Duluth Packs just as much as our team enjoyed creating them,” Ryan Hanson, Duluth Pack’s marketing manager, is quoted in a press release. Duluth Pack earlier this year provided a hoodie now being spotted on singer Ed Sheeran.
On Parr at the Porkies: Speaking of singers, Duluth’s Charlie Parr has a new album coming out Sept. 8 called “Dog.” You can stream the title track and learn about its story on his website. Or you can see the remarkable folk and country blues singer-songwriter live in the weekend lineup at the 13th Annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival in the Ontonagon/Silver City, Michigan, area, Friday-Sunday. Look for a range of Americana, folk, roots, blues and rock at the Porcupine Mountains Winter Sports Complex, with two stages of music, a children’s tent, food concessions and workshops. You can also see the eclectic multi-instrumentalist David Bromberg and his David Bromberg Quintet, as well as the Steel Wheels and Laney Jones & the Spirits. Other performers include the Accidentals and Ana Egge & the Sentimentals. Look for plenty of great music amid beautiful surroundings, presented by Friends of the Porkies under a big-top canopy, so it’s held rain or shine.
Another tourist trapped: John Carlisle of the Detroit Free Press tours Da Yoopers Tourist Trap in Ishpeming, Michigan, and – not surprisingly – finds much to amaze and amuse him.
Brews & … (Your Favorite Dish Here): Local microbrews pair well with a variety of local dishes, as we learned in one of our Lake Superior Magazine Recipe Box stories. Check out the Canal Park Brewing’s recipes for Asian Noodle Salad and the Asparagus & Egg Sandwich.
Photo credits: Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission; NASA; City of Superior; Duluth Pack; Nate Ryan; Phil Bencomo, Lake Superior Magazine